Eleven Warriors

In demand

Not long after ousted coach Billy Gillispie decided it would be a good idea to race a news crew through his offices, rumors of who would be his replacement began burning up the internet.

And why not? It's one of the top jobs in sports. Head coach at the institution that has more NCAA tournament appearances than any other school. A rabid and knowledgeable fanbase. Ashley Judd. All that.

The first name that was tossed around as Gillispie's replacement was Billy Donovan, but Florida quickly shot that down. John Calipari, another big name on the early list, followed suit. Former Wildcat Travis Ford, currently doing good things at Oklahoma State, is a possibility, as isVillanova's Jay Wright and Xavier's Sean Miller, but two Big Ten coaches are rising quickly.

One is Tom Izzo and he's a hell of a coach. The other just so happens to be the coach of your favorite team. And while Izzo would be a better get for UK, he's a Michigan native and is likely using the episode as a bargaining chip for more love from the Spartans.

Matta, on the other hand, is not a native of the state he coaches in and quite frankly, has several reasons to be interested should Kentucky come calling. I realize that's probably blasphemy to some of you, but let's face it, Kentucky is a better job.

At Ohio State there's the morgue that's known as the Schottenstein Center, playing second fiddle to one of the biggest football programs in the nation and, well, no Ashley Judd.

There are certainly compelling reasons for Matta to hang around in Columbus (dollar-dollar-bill, y'all), but as long as he's putting up 20+ wins per season, this will be something to fret about whenever a big-time job opens up.

Outside of the two Elite Eight games tipping off later today, there are a couple of other reasons to tune in as the Lady Buckeyes square-off against #2 seed Stanford (in Berkeley, no less) at 11:30pm and the Ohio State hockey team meets top-seeded Boston at 5:30pm (ESPN2).

We're heading into we got nothing the offseason, so posts like this will become more frequent. Give the above photo your best caption and the winner gets to pull Corey's finger.

One half of the Big Ten's Sweet 16 contingent will be in action tonight when Purdue meets Connecticut at 7:07PM ET. We realize some of you have a tough time rooting for other Big Ten teams, but we've been caught up in the solidarity fever for the past year and a half or so and there's nothing we'd like to see more than JuJuan Johnson put up about 50 as the Boilers coast. UConn has a bit of a storm hanging over the program's head right now, so the timing is right and the natives are optimistic.

Twenty minutes after tipoff, the only Ohio team left dancing takes on another one seed when Xavier meets Pittsburgh (don't call us Pitt). You can do worse than cheering on one of Matta's boys, Sean Miller, and the Musketeers.

Unfortunately, both of the teams we'll be pulling for are comfortable dogs, but this is March and madness will happen. Or we hope.

On the bracket challenge front, C. James and his/her entry is currently leading the Eleven Warriors group, putting him/her in a good position to get their read-on. How is your entry faring?

Not really shocking to anyone that's followed this closely, but BJ Mullens has made it official: he's NBA-bound.

Best of luck to BJ.

Forcier can zip a mean four yard out

What started as a whisper yesterday afternoon has grown into just the latest significant setback of the Rich Rodriguez era at Michigan as Wolverine quarterback Nick Sheridan is hurt and likely in a bad way.

Though there are some skeptics among the faithful, word is flying that it's a broken leg and that typically shelves a guy for a while. At any rate, RichRod the Great will be holding a press conference tomorrow where he will most likely address the injury.

With Steven Threet's transfer last month, that leaves the Wolverines with exactly zero quarterbacks with any type of game experience. David Cone is still in the mix, but a) he's not really that good b) he's only thrown one pass in his time at Ann Arbor and c) he's rumored to be injured as well. There's sophomore Justin Feagin who saw some minimal action late in the season when Threet was hurt, but his problem is that he's Justin Feagin.

That leaves freshman Calista Flockhart Tate Forcier and his pythonic pipes. Forcier, as you might recall, is the Jimmy Clausen of the dirty north and comes from a family that is part Marinovich, part Brady, and kind enough to showcase his offer letters to cheer you up from getting laid-off.

Anyway, he's enrolled early and participating in spring ball and should be the #1 quarterback once fall camps hits. Assuming the whole Sheridan-leg-is-now-in-pieces rumor holds true, that is. All of this bodes well for those of us that like to see the Wolverines in pain because with the continuing transfers and now this news, more pain is definitely in the forecast for the 734.

Duane Long, one of the MVPs of the Bucknuts operation has decided to branch out on his own and has been filling up the RSS feed with gold for about the last three weeks.

In one of his latest posts, he evaluates the Buckeye staff as recruiters and though you may not be surprised to see Tressel and Fickell at the top of the list, seeing Heacock at the bottom is a little unnerving:

Paul Haynes and Jim Heacock get Ds. I don't recall a major recruit either was responsible for landing. I have never spoken to a recruit that said either one impressed them. In fact, I can only recall twice when I spoke to a recruit and he could not recall who was recruiting him for Ohio State. Both times the coach ended up being Jim Heacock.

Guess that's just more ammunition for those clamoring for his ouster.

Will Lighty be the key to next season?

After Alex took a look into the 2010 recruiting class and Jason previewed next year's depth, we offer our final installment on the state of Buckeyes hoops.

It was a funky season. Thad's squad was picked anywhere from 5-7th in the Big Ten to start the season, but won their first 9 games, including wins over ranked Miami and Notre Dame on the road. David Lighty was then lost for the season after game 7 and Nappy Crater transferred 3 games later. And just when Thad thought he would get another body in the rotation, Nicola Kecman blew his knee out after his first game as a Buckeye.

With a limited rotation, a lack of inside scoring and no D1 PG on the roster, Matta pulled this team to 22 wins and a tournament appearance. The B10 tourney run and subsequent NCAA loss has set the tone for next year's squad, raising expectations to another level and continuing the momentum of hoops interest.

If BJ Mullens needs another reason to stay one more year, he should look no further than Evan Turner. I'm not saying Turner was ready for the show after last season, but the improvement he made from his freshman year is remarkable. He went from 8.5 to 17.3 points a game and raised his shooting percentage to 50.3 percent. He made 175 free throws, a mere 103 more than he made a season ago.

He raised his rebound total from 4.4 to 7.1 and his assists from 2.6 to 4.0. While his turnovers went up to 3.5, he scored double digits in 30 of the 33 games and was runner-up for the Big Ten POY. Turner has jumped up the mock draft lists recently, but claims he is coming back for some unfinished business. I still think a transformation to point could happen over the summer and if he solidifies his outside jumper, The Villan could use his junior year as a spring board to the NBA lottery.

While at times his cold shooting and reluctance to drive the lane were maddening, Jon Diebler also made a huge improvement over the last year. Diebler shot just 29% as a freshman, but raised it to 41.6 overall this year, including a conference leading 45.5 in league play and almost doubled his scoring average to 11.6. If he can learn to pump fake and hit a 10-15 footer, there is no reason to expect anything less than 14 points a game next year.

Do you think there is any reason why William Buford won't improve as much as Evan Turner did? No doubt Buford's J is wet, but he had a weird habit of scoring in the first half and then disappearing in the second. He shot a respectable 45 percent from the field and 85 percent from the line, while averaging 11 points a game. He too might benefit from less minutes next year, allowing him more energy to concentrate on the defensive end, but if he develops his game like ET did this past season, we could be watching a sick 1-2 combo.

While I know the above 3 will improve tremendously over the summer, I am most interested to see how far along Lauderdale, Simmons and Hill come.

It's easy to forget the fact Lauderdale didn't play much his freshman year, registering just under 7 minutes a game. This year he played over 21 a game and raised his scoring average from .9 to 4.7 points, while shooting an astonishing 72 percent from the field. Dallas needs to improve his hands and lead this team in rebounds next year. He went from 1.8 boards last year to 3.6 this year, so if the pattern continues, he could be snagging over 7 a game next year.

PJ Hill went from not seeing the floor in 6 of the first 10 games, to playing 40 minutes in the season finale. Hill came on towards the end of the season, but registered more than 2 assists only once in the last 8 games. PJ did improve his shooting, improving from 26% his sophomore season, to 46% this year. He also shot a respectable 42.4% from down town and finished the season hitting 16 of 21 FT's in 4 post season games.

He needs to transfer some of his energy to Jeremie Simmons who lost his shot as the season went along. Simmons scored in double digits only twice in his last 10 games and recorded just 9 assists in his last 8 games. I have a feeling we may see more of Simmons at the 2-guard next year, his natural position and one can only hope he can add another outside threat. His ball handling must improve as well, but with Lighty coming back and Buford's emergence, there won't be as much pressure on Simmons to produce next year, which should help his game.

Considering all the adversity the Buckeyes faced this year, I felt it was pretty successful. They shot 48% as a team, including over 50% in conference play, but their defense wasn't up to standards towards the latter half of B10 play. There are glaring weaknesses that need fixed before next year, but depth is on the way, which should mean an end to the zone and a movement back to in your face full court man defense.

This is probably the last hoops post on the season, as we gear up for spring football, so if you have any more complaints and/or suggestions for the Thad and his squad, leave them below. Otherwise, are you ready for some football.

Florida turned some heads last week when they announced the placement of a plaque on their brand new $7 million Heavener Football Complex. You see, it wasn't just any old plaque, but rather one commemorating the promise Tim Tebow made to Gator fans following their upset loss at the hands of Ole Miss last season.

Rightfully, the move has been roundly criticized -- not because Tebow isn't a gifted player, but because it's, like, too soon. Even the most Gatorest of them all is not beyond wondering what the program was thinking:

COME ON. He hasn't even left, or died, and they're putting this speech on the wall? I bleed orange and blue, and even I think this is a bit excessive. I mean, he is the most perfect human being ever born, and I'd purchase his sweaty used compression shorts to nail over my door for good luck, but for Tebow's sake, wait until he leaves to begin memorializing him.

But the internet, doing what it does best, closes the saga with poetry (background). Brilliant.

The Villain, ET -- whatever you call him -- he's going to be
nasty next season

Yesterday, Alex took a look at how the 2010 team, with the stellar recruiting class on the way, might stack up and while things look promising long-term, the united projected to take the court this winter should be pretty damn good in their own right.

Before we get into what the lineup might look like, let's try to establish some assumptions about who is staying and who is leaving early. Mullens is gone -- you can argue with whether he's ready or not all day, but we can't fault him for wanting to take care of his family. Though Matta thinks an extra year could be worth as much as $8 million and Rick Pitino seems to agree, I would be shocked if didn't enter the draft.

While BJ may get drafted on talent alone, Evan Turner seems to be the opposite. Already accomplished, having just come off a sophomore season in which he contended for Big Ten POY honors, he would likely be a lottery pick if he elected to enter the NBA draft.

A few weeks ago, news broke that he was returning for his junior season and many of you were rightfully skeptical. Since then, he's done nothing but reiterate that, including immediately after the loss to Siena. There's still the tiniest of lingering doubts, but we're counting him back.

Same for William Buford. He has a shot you want to make love to, but until he learns to play defense and handle the ball a little better, he'll be shredding nets in Columbus instead of the NBA.

So, assuming the departure of Mullens and the return of Turner and Buford, the 2009 Buckeyes could have something they haven't had in a long time - experience and depth. Returning from a squad that finished 22-11 and earned an eight seed in the NCAA tournament are 90% of the minutes, 84% of the points, 85% of the rebounds, 98% of the assists and 92% of the steals.

The old-timer

And though there are no incoming recruits on the books for next year, the Buckeyes do see the return of one important component as well as potentially two other solid contributors. David Lighty will be a redshirt junior and is the lone connection to the tournament finals run of Oden and Co. The staff gushed about his leadership heading into last season and with another year of experience (albeit watching, studying) under his belt, he could be a two-way force. 2009 will also see the return of Nikola Kecman from season-ending injury as well as our first glimpse of seven-foot transfer Zisis Sarikopoulos.

So, what would the lineup look like?

Warts and all, I think PJ Hill starts the season at point guard. There may be room for a JUCO PG, but indications are anything gained from Mullens/Crater will be put toward 2010. There's a chance Walter Offutt steals some minutes at the point and we could also see a situation where Turner runs the point again, but Hill will improve. Whether he's able to create off the dribble is doubtful, but he will get better at the small things

Junior Jon Diebler will start at the two. He played nearly 37 minutes per game this season and you would have had to have been blind not to notice the improvements he made on defense. While some say he could only drain a three when unguarded, consider that he couldn't even hit those his freshman season. He will be a weapon next season.

Turner is a no-brainer at wing. We all know what he can do and next season he'll be doing all of that, only a bit better. He needs to work on his turnovers, but he could be ready to record only the 2nd triple-double in Buckeye basketball history.

Lighty returns to fill the four and though he may be a bit undersized at this spot, his versatility and defense more than make up for this. Do you think having him on the floor late in the game would have helped against Siena?

Lauderdale is your center and although he had more than his share of cringe-worthy moments this season, he'll improve as well. He may never get to his level, but Terence Dials was not exactly a dominant player in his first couple of years at Ohio State, either. He'll need to improve on his rebounding and toughness, but those can be addressed.

Looking towards the bench, you have the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year in Buford coming in to spell Diebler or Turner, Simmons and Offutt providing depth in the backcourt and Kecman, Sarikopoulos and Madsen backing up the bigs.

The lack of a true point guard still scares the hell out of us, as does the team's seeming hatred of rebounding, but you can't argue with some of the firepower outlined above. The Big Ten has a lot of young talent, so winning a conference title will be a challenge, but who knows, Titus may even have a chance to break out of Club Trillion in a couple of early season blowouts.

What about you? Who do you see starting?

Jared Sullinger: Man Child

The basketball Buckeyes may have disappointed many of the Scarlet and Gray faithful this year, but the one good thing that came out of this past weekend was that the future of the program is looking bright. While Evan Turner and P.J. Hill continued to struggle with the Siena press, Jared Sullinger and the rest of his future Buckeye teammates have been taking care of business, giving Buckeye Nation a glimpse of what could be in the future.

While the Class of 2009 has no recruits coming in (yet), because no scholarships were available to hand out before the season, Thad Matta already has verbal commitments from five members of the Class of 2010. These players aren't your average high school stars either, as the class includes four of ESPN/Scout Inc.'s Top 50 players in the class, including the nation's #1 ranked player in Columbus Northland's Jared Sullinger, the brother of former Buckeye captain J.J. Sullinger.

The younger Sullinger is joined in the class by Cincinnati Princeton SG Jordan Sibert (#42), Ft. Wayne (IN) Bishop Luers SF DeShaun Thomas (#6), Zion-Benton Township (IL) G Lenzelle Smith Jr. (#45), and Cleveland Benedictine SG Cameron Wright (NR). While the class is good enough as it currently stands, the staff is still looking to add another player, with the targets being Dayton Jefferson C Adreian Payne (#28) and Oak Hill Academy (VA) PG Pe'Shon Howard (#60), among others.

Sullinger is a prototypical big man, and at 6-8/250 has learned to dominate the high school game on the blocks. He's very explosive for a kid of his size and has continually shown the ability to take over a game. He is the consensus number one player in the class across all recruiting services and as a junior should continue to develop as a player over the next year and a half before he gets to Columbus.

Sibert, who plays with Sullinger on the All-Ohio Red AAU team, stands at 6-3/185. He is a slasher who is great at getting to the hoop and plays well above the rim, but defenders shouldn't sleep on his perimeter game either, although this area will need to improve at the college level. He, like Sullinger, has lead his high school team to the state semi-finals with his big game performances and clutch scoring, and will get to play in his future arena this weekend.

DeShaun Thomas was offered early by the Bucks and committed early as well, but backed off his early pledge to check out some other schools. After being recruited by Indiana, Duke, Purdue, and others, Thomas confirmed OSU was the place for him, and Thad and the staff were certainly all smiles to get this athletic forward who stands at 6-7/225. Thomas has drawn comparisons to LeBron James and has an outside game to accompany his ability to take the ball to the hoop. Thomas is averaging 30.1 ppg as a junior according to Max Preps, and should also continue to improve his game before coming to campus.

At 6-5/220, Lenzelle Smith Jr. is a combo guard who is most likely to start off at the point for the Bucks. Smith's size is certainly an advantage, especially on the boards, but he is also an excellent passer. Smith will need to work on his outside shooting before coming to college, but has the potential to be an excellent one or two guard for Thad Matta, as he is a smart player who can attack the basket as good as anyone in the nation.

Cameron Wright was another player who was offered early by the Bucks, but is not as highly touted as the other members of his class. Wright, who measures 6-4/195, is an athletic player who excels on the wing. Cameron will need to improve his shooting consistency to get significant playing time as a freshman, but he is a solid defender who uses his length to his advantage. He is a player who can surprise some people at the next level and should be a nice compliment to the players already on the roster.

The newest version of the "Thad 5" won't be coming into Columbus without any bullets already in the gun though. Sophomores Dallas Lauderdale and Jon Diebler should be well seasoned seniors by the time these prospects come to Columbus, and with the red-shirt he will receive from sitting out this year, David Lighty should return for the 2010-2011 season as a fifth year senior captain. Nikola Kecman, Walter Offutt, and Zisis Sarikopoulos should still be around as well, while William Buford and Evan Turner will most likely not hang around to see Jared & Co. take over 'The Schott'.

Seeing as a Final Four run is likely not in the cards for next season, the roster is certainly shaping up to be a serious contender the following year. With the combination of veteran leadership and the young talent coming in the class of 2010, Thad Matta will be fully loaded to make a run similar to that of two seasons ago. A starting line-up of Lauderdale, Sullinger, Lighty, Diebler, and Offutt or Smith, with Thomas, Sibert, Sarikopoulos, Kecman, Wright, and possibly another top tier talent from the class of 2010 coming off the bench is a Buckeye hoops fan's dream and there will be no excuses if that team does not get it done come March of 2011. The loss against Siena on Saturday night still lingers, but looking to the future, there is certainly light at the end of the tunnel.